Overcoming a Name

Yes, I made another dish from the Moosewood cookbook. This one was called Caribbean Pigeon Pea Salad. When ever I gave Matt the option of this dish he would pick the other. Yesterday I started calling it Caribbean Rice Salad and just decided to go ahead and make it.

I was heading to Fountain Square for some music so I made up the salad early and popped it in the refrigerator. It was pretty easy to make and took me just under an hour. I let Matt know there was some rice salad in the refrigerator for when he got home. He ate it and only later did I tell him it was pigeon pea salad.

I liked the general flavor of the dish although I am not necessarily sold on canned pigeon peas. The seemed like tough little canned lima beans. I like lima beans but canned ones are not my favorite. Matt said it was pretty good and we finished off most of it over the evening. It was a nice cool dish for a warm summer evening outside.

I had small tomatoes instead of the medium tomatoes called for so I used enough to get 2 cups which appeared to be about right. I accidently used a whole teaspon of dried thyme in the rice which also worked out okay. I could not find the annatto or achiote seed that was called for but found a flavor packet that contained some. I used two of the Sazon Goya Unique Seasoning packets in the oil with the rice.

The recipe does not call to cover the rice when it is cooked for 40 minutes which I am going to assume was an oversight. I covered the rice and it came out nice. I used brown jasmine rice.


I would say this could be a weeknight staple in the summer since most of the ingredients are usually on hand. Nothing to brag about but more like something to live with.

Taste: 3
Prep: 3